Illusen's Secrets to Staying in Shape

As Illusen Day rolls around yet again, all Neopians are celebrating this wonderful earth faerie and the fact that we are lucky enough to have her here. Well, all Neopians except Jhudora, of course. I recently had the opportunity to meet Illusen at her hidden glade in Meridell and talk to her about what everyone has been dying to know: how in the world she stays in such great shape. Illusen, being her normal, modest self, blushed and smiled, claiming that she didn’t do anything different from everyone else. However, she went on to share some of her little tips and secrets with us on how to get into shape and stay fit.

Illusen’s first tip was to not give into temptation when it came to eating.

“With all of the fattening foods and treats in Neopia, such as those tempting Cheeseburgers,” Illusen said with a grin, “it’s truly hard to not give in and eat the entire Neopian Food shop. But if you choose to eat healthy and stick to that promise, you can do it! You just have to believe in yourself.”

When it comes to food, Illusen usually eats foods with her name in it.

“I make all the foods with ‘Illusen’ in the name,” she shares with us, “so I put only the finest, healthiest ingredients into my food and then I sell the foods to shops all over Neopia to provide them to you. I make sure they are low fat and have vitamins that all Neopets need.”

She recommends eating the Illusen Day Burger, which tastes great and is grilled to perfection but is still healthier than other burgers sold in Neopia. Also among the Illusen foods, there are Illusen Day Cupcakes, Hotdogs, Doughnuts, Sandwiches and Jellies so you and your Neopet can have a variety of wholesome lunch and dinner snacks to enjoy.

I noticed that there were no Illusen Day breakfast foods available, so I asked Illusen what she eats for breakfast.

She urges Neopians to eat all-natural foods more. One idea she had was to pick fresh Zeenanas, chop them up and put them into your cereal. Of course, she also advises eating a piece of Faerie Toast with Butter each week.

“Faerie Toast is made with premium, delicious ingredients and shipped right from Faerieland. When I used to live in Faerieland, everyone used to say ‘A piece of toast a day keeps the Elephante pharmacist away!’” she informed me.

Of course, your eating habits are just one part of staying healthy and in shape. Being active and exercising play huge parts in stay fit too. Being one of the most popular faeries in Neopia, Illusen has to travel frequently all throughout Neopia each week. However, some days she stays in her glade awaiting her questers. No matter the situation, she always finds ways to stay active and have fun.

“This may sound silly, but one of the best ways to get exercise is to own petpets!” Illusen said. “If you own several petpets, they will often need to be taken outside. So you can take a walk outside with your petpets and enjoy the weather while still getting your exercise.”

Illusen also suggests running to get exercise.

“Even though I am very busy every day, I still have to find time to get that good ol’ aerobic exercise. You can do this too by just walking or running a couple of times a week,” Illusen recommended.

When asked where Illusen goes to walk or jog, she recommended a few places. One place that she especially enjoys is the Poogle Races racetrack.

“I love the racetrack,” she declared. “You can walk around the path that is just outside the actual track, so you get plenty of walking time while you can still enjoy watching the adorable little Poogles race! It’s fun and really entertaining.”

An alternative place to stroll or sprint that Illusen loves is Mystery Island. Illusen often visits the beach to get a work out and says it’s an amusing place to stroll around and find a variety of beautiful shells.

“Once I found the coolest seashell at the Mystery Island beach. It was orange and red and incredibly shiny, so it caught my eye. I stopped jogging and picked it up... and this creature popped out of it and scared the living Neocola out of me! Later I found out it was one of those Inferno Mollusks that you can catch from fishing. Moral of this story: be careful when walking at the Mystery Island beach.”

Another suggestion for exercise at Mystery Island is to volunteer to be a Tiki Tour Guide.

“I’ve never been a guide myself,” Illusen revealed, smiling, “but I have had friends that say it is pretty fun and a great way to meet new people. There used to be a rumor going around Faerieland that Jhudora used to be a Tiki Tour Guide before moving to Faerieland. That’s why I’ve never done it myself. I would never want to do anything that smelly, evil, nasty Jhudora did. But I’ll stop getting off subject. I’m sure being a Tiki Tour Guide is a great way to stay fit.”

As my interview rolled to an end, I couldn’t help but feel that I had forgotten something to ask Illusen. We’d discussed how to eat healthy lunches, dinners and breakfasts and how to get some vigorous exercise to stay fit. Then, I realized that we hadn’t talked about how to have some delicious desserts without wasting all of that hard work exercising and eating healthily. And after all, desserts are one of the most important parts of our diets, right?

“Oh! Desserts. How could we forget desserts?” Illusen asked, giggling. “Well, let me start off by saying that desserts are definitely a part of temptation. You just have to find the right desserts to eat.”

She suggested trying the Illusen's Cream Cookie for a light dessert. Like she said earlier, all snacks made by Illusen are low in fat and still taste scrumptious. She also told us of the Flower Cakes that she gives out to people who do her quests.

“Another tasty delicacy you could gobble down without wasting your exercise is the Negg Cream Cookie. I love the rainbow color of it more than anything, but it’s still healthy for you.”

Now you have it! I dove deep down into Illusen’s exercising techniques and even the foods that she enjoys. Now you can enjoy yummy Neopian cuisine that’s good for you and remember to go walking to help stay fit. When asked what, by far, is the most important thing to remember when trying to stay in shape, Illusen left us with a few last thoughts.

“None of these tips will help you stay fit if you don’t have fun. No one wants to do exercises when they aren’t entertaining. You won’t feel like eating healthily if you aren’t enjoying it. So enjoy it and have a good time and these ideas should be easy!”

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